Only when our students are familiar with ancient texts will they be able to understand Indian culture in its entirety. The more India connects to its roots, the more it will develop a sense of self-respect and self-confidence and the way for freedom from mental slavery will also be paved.
Indian values capable of showing the way to the world, the way to freedom from mental slavery
On the occasion of the 76th anniversary of the country’s independence, the Prime Minister called for moving forward in the direction of making the country developed. In this sequence, he also asked the countrymen to get rid of mental slavery. In such a situation, the question arises that what is the way to get rid of this mental slavery? In fact, only after identifying the right causes of any problem, the way to its solution is paved.
Therefore, first of all we have to understand that even after the passage of seven and a half decades of independence, why the problem of mental slavery remains in the country? One reason is undoubtedly that from the Mughals to the British, the country had to spend a long period in slavery. This slavery worked to crush the self-pride of the countrymen. But after independence, the changes that should have taken place in it did not come.
The form of governance adopted by the governments of independent India and the policies pursued, may have been a vision of development, there was no attempt to revive the cultural pride of India. Instead of formulating policies based on Indianness, the socialist economic model was adopted. Hindi became the official language, but at the same time English also remained with stamina. In fact, at the level of governance, the common man did not see anything that could give strength to his suppressed self-confidence and awaken his self-pride.
If the country wants to get rid of the disease of mental slavery, then first of all it has to be awakened. The development of Swabhasha and Swadeshi is the first link in this. Sanatan culture has been full of scientific consciousness in its original form, but we have lagged behind in the matter of science because this education was not available to us in our own language. Therefore, there is a need to ensure that education from primary to higher education is available in Indian languages. Arrangements should be made to study in Indian languages in all fields like engineering, science, medicine etc.
It is good that some steps have been taken recently by AICTE for engineering studies in 12 Indian languages. Apart from this, there is a need to promote the use of Indian languages from official work to judiciary. The development of all Indian languages including Hindi will not only strengthen the country culturally, but will also prove helpful in ending the attachment of English among the countrymen. Once the countrymen are freed from the attachment of the English, then they will not take time to get rid of other dimensions of mental slavery.
Apart from Swabhasha and Swadeshi, the country’s sense of history has to be corrected. Efforts should be made to bring our ancient texts depicting the glorious past of India out of the guise of mythization and make available material related to various subjects like politics, society, economy, science etc. to the students by making them a part of the curriculum. There should also be a system to convey the message of high life-values present in these texts to the people of the country. Here there is also a need to reject the leftist thinking which is away from the past pride, because only those whose past is worthy of pride on the past.
